which is best?

[Iron Greasel]

Back to westerns swords vs. katana, eh? If you want sharp, take Death's scythe from Discworld.

[Pop 'n Fresh]

Long sword or scim..... hmmmmmm RUN AWAY!

I dont exactly like pointy objects near my face so i'd probably want a flail with a really long chain.

Or maybe even a sield with a large blade at the bottom so i can protect and stab [img]tongue.gif[/img] pity they werent invented though.

I'd go for the long sword just for the extra distance.

But i'd much rather be using a BOOMSTICK!

[ 07-21-2005, 09:40 AM: Message edited by: Pop 'n Fresh ]

[Thoran]

Originally posted by robertthebard: quote: Originally posted by Bozos of Bones: Why thank you Iron Greasel [img]smile.gif[/img] I make it a hobby to know trivia and all kinds of stuff. Never know when aliens might attack the planet and I just happen to be the only man who can save th earth by combining a diamond to a piece of wood and a rubber spring to create an ion cannon that will destroy the alien mothership and send them back from where they came from [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Alrighty then, but I have one question, which may just be an oversight on your part, oh master of obscure, and wonderful wisdom. If you blow up the mother ship, how are they gonna get back where they came from? [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Marty 4, I've seen great swords, up close and personal, held one in both my hands, and while it is heavy, it's not one hundred pounds. I do, however, agree that longswords are not all that heavy. Fuctional ones weigh a bit more than two pounds, but they aren't all that heavy, maybe eight to ten pounds all told. [/QUOTE]Weight of a longsword depends a lot on the design. Blades typically considered 'longswords' (by people today) are single handed weapons with a distally tapered blade. Classical blades typically weigh 2-3 lbs and are well balanced with a COG an inch or two forward of the tang. There were periods of time when bashing was the most effective way to defeat an armored opponent, and at those times the blades tended to get heavier (to break an arm through armor), but often these blades were used point first (stick the pointy end into the bad guy) so were light and fast. Scimitars or slashing blades in contrast tend to have COG's farther forward on the blade, the also tend to weigh MORE than the typical longsword (think about it... you want the inertia of your oblique stroke to have enough energy to cut through thick leather and wood armor)... and were primarily used for cutting through cloth or light armor with a long drawing cut (acting a lot like a saw blade).

Here's a good article about straight vs. curved weapons by a brilliant gentleman who knew a bit about war...
http://www.pattonhq.com/textfiles/saber.html

[ 07-21-2005, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: Thoran ]

[Thoran]

Originally posted by Aragorn1: The Katana was the sword of the Samurai. It was the strongest and sharpest blade known to the world at its time, bettering even the blades of the saracens, who also used the advanced metal working techniques. The unique strength of the blade was acheived by folding the metal many times and cooling it correctly, when at the right temperature, which removed the impurities that were seen in western swords of the time. This not only gave it the worlds best cutting edge but helped to prevent it being as brittle as other thin swords. I think 'Longword' was a general term for a sword longer than the swords used by the general man-at-arms, the longsword was the sword of the nobility, but it is a general term rather than a fixed class. Generally though they are intended for use with a shield.

Actually somewhat incorrect. The contemporary Western blades during the time of the Samurai didn't need extensive folding becuse they were made of superior metal. The raw materials available to Japanese craftsman were very poor quality, and there's no taking away from them the achievement in making blades as good as they were given their starting point... however the time consuming manufacturing technique was required not to make a blade superior to western ones... but simply to make one comparable. There's ample evidence that western craftsman had access to very advanced materials (wootz or Damascus steel for instance) when necessary, but good raw materials and processing rendered advanced processing unnecessary.

[Pop 'n Fresh]

I changed my mind.

I'd want a pike so i could smash his/her head with the side of the pike thus stunning him whilst i could do the pokey pokey in his face.

Long Sword still beats Scimitar.